Thought Clouds

I’m spending so much time thinking about the clouds that I can feel a caricatured thought bubble bobbing above my head. I live in Boulder, which is supposed to mean sunny winters followed by sunny springs followed by sunny summers, etc. But do you know how many times I’ve seen the sun the past three weeks? Only a few fleeting flashes out the window during work! Then it’s swallowed by clouds, rain and lightning.

All of this Seattle-esque weather makes me to reflect  how spoiled I am in Colorado. Usually a cloudy day is a fun rarity. So we’ve built our lives around nice weather, post-work hikes and carefree camping. All these activities require not just sun but faith that you won’t get doused or, worse, zapped, when you’re out in the wilderness. After getting repeatedly caught in storms while running and biking, I must say my faith is waning just a tad.

Of course, I exaggerate that the weather is perfect here. It can turn on you quicker than you can say ‘Oh shit!’ as I’ve learned from countless jogs in Vail that turned into me spreeing from hail the size of Tootsie Pops. And the rain is actually pretty cool – I’d rather train for a marathon in cool, soggy weather than high-altitude heat.

But I hereby admit I’m addicted  to the sun’s Vitamin D and morale boosts. So is everybody else in Boulder, considering that “lousy weather” has overtaken rock climbing and microbrewing as No. 1 conversation topic around town. C’est la vie. The sun will come up tomorrow (I hope!)